Hand in Hand Global Mission Support Blog Digest

Doug Foster and Sue Wironen Foster are ELCA missionaries in Kumamoto, Japan, where they are ESL teachers.  To support them, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Sue Wironen Foster and Doug Foster

It does not seem possible that so much time has gone by since we moved to Japan and now we are planning the reverse move back to the United States.

The second week of January was the start of our last term as teachers at KyuGak. Doug started on his own as Sue developed this mysterious skin infection that required a few visits to the doctors and a few weeks worth of medication. Thanks to fellow missionaries Nathan and Sharonette Bowman the doctor visits were not stressful and Sue is fully recovered.

January is also the start of the Missoula Children’s Theater. This English language play is sponsored by KyuGak every year. Children from the Junior High School at KyuGak and children from various elementary schools try out for the parts. We work with the youngest children and are teaching them their lines and their songs. They are so much fun.

We are also back doing our English Bible study at Murozono Church. We have had as many as 13 students at the class but average eight students each week. What pleases us the most is that we have one gentleman who has been with us since the first day. He is not a Christian and is the most faithful attendee at the class. We hope that someone will continue with this English Bible study class. We have become a very close group and would like to see it continue.

January is also entrance exam month in Japan. We had to stay late with all of the teachers to correct the entrance exams. Students from all over the city come to take the exam to see if they qualify for entry into KyuGak.

Time is going by quickly. We have friends from school and church planning “enkais” (parties) for us to wish us goodbye. I think that is when reality will really hit. There are only eight weeks of school left and then we will be heading home.

• » Comments (0)

The Rev. Bradn Buerkle is an ELCA missionary serving in parish ministry in Novosibirsk, Russia. To support Bradn, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Plunging into ice-cold water is how some Russians mark the Baptism of Christ.

This year for the extreme-sports-like celebration of the Baptism of Christ (Jan. 19 according to the Orthodox calendar) I joined the crowds that jump into various bodies of blessed ice-water, “entering into the Jordan” as they call it here. I must admit that any deep, spiritual meaning behind this event is still a bit foggy to me — I’ve learned in the last few days that many in the Orthodox church consider the tradition a bit suspect, too.

But what, after more than a decade in Russia, is pushing me to participate in this rather unusual practice? It was jumping out a window.

That’s right. I’ve started jumping out a window regularly in the past few months. It has been part of my weekly trip to the banya (the Russian version of a sauna) ever since winter started. There’s a window from the shower room that gives you direct access to a snow bank, and I’ve found that going out into the snow after sitting in the heat makes the banya even better. While there was no banya on Jan. 19 (there was, thankfully, a heated tent for changing your clothes — they even distributed hot tea inside), going “into the Jordan” was simply stepping it up to the next level.

The reason I write about these rather insignificant and personal experiences is that, for me, they are symbolic of what I want 2012 to be. The last few months have been a time of moderation: The situation in the congregation is stable. The ecumenical situation in Novosibirsk has also been generally positive. The church structure in which I am working shows positive signs, and even the situation in the country has improved, insofar as people have started to make their voices heard and to push for change.

I realize that it would be easy to be content in each of these areas — in some ways, it is already better than one could reasonably expect. Yet, thanks to the snow bank outside  the banya, I’ve been reminded not to start the year ready to settle for “good enough.” Instead, I’m going to try to start it by taking it to the next level, even if that means diving into the shocking cold.

Bradn Buerkle

• » Comments (0)

The Rev. Jeffrey Truscott is an ELCA missionary in Singapore where he teaches at Trinity Theological College. To support him, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Front row, from left, Jeffrey Truscott, Anthony Loh, Bishop Terry Kee, Samuel Wang and Richard Chiu.

Greetings from Singapore!

As I write this, the nation of Singapore is celebrating the Lunar (Chinese) New Year, along with other countries in Asia. Traditionally, CNY (as we abbreviate it) is a time for families to gather for a celebratory meal and to express good wishes for the coming year. It would be like a combination of Thanksgiving and  New Year’s Day in the United States.

In November three pastors were ordained into the ministry of the Lutheran Church in Singapore (LCS) at Bedok Lutheran Church, with the Rt. Rev. Terry Kee, bishop of the Lutheran Church in Singapore, officiating. The ordinands were Revs. Richard Chiu, Samuel Wang. and Anthony Loh. I was privileged to supervise Rev. Wang in the preparation of his ordination thesis, which is a special requirement for ordination in the LCS.

One of the great joys of teaching at an ecumenical seminary is the diversity of contacts one makes.  Through a former Trinity Theological College student, I have been invited to make a presentation on worship at a local Anglican church in February. This will not only be a good opportunity for me to teach but also to learn about the concerns that the local Anglican community has regarding worship. I am grateful for the chance to deepen my awareness of local church life in Singapore.

Let me once again thank you for your continued support through the ELCA Missionary Sponsor Program. I am especially thankful for the various cards, newsletters and other items that you send to me. I am glad that you are thinking about me and praying for me and my work. I look forward to the possibility of making contact with you later this year during my home assignment.

Regards in Christ,
Rev. Jeffrey A. Truscott
Trinity Theological College, Singapore

• » Comments (0)

Dana Nelson is an ELCA missionary in Lima, Peru. To support Dana, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Among the participants of a recent workshop on domestic violence was a woman, third from the left, who had been attacked with boiling water.

Dear sponsoring congregations, friends and family,

Domestic Violence is a serious issue all over the world as we know.  Peru, where there is a lot of machismo, is no exception.

I am thrilled to have found an excellent program to prevent and stop domestic violence in Peru. It is called Alto a la Violencia (Stop the Violence). In the Peruvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, we have hosted, so far, three of these trainings.

The photo included here is a small group that gathered in Cristo Rey for a workshop.  The tall woman in the photo (third from left and next to me) survived her boyfriend pouring a huge pan of boiling water over her face and body when she was sleeping. Now that she has recovered and healed, she is speaking out, teaching others in Lima what to do if they are in violent relationships, how to get help, how to be safe, how to seek justice and protection, and know their rights as human beings.

In St. Paul, Minn., before I went to seminary, I worked for a time as an advocate in the Latina organization Casa de Esperanza in their domestic violence shelter. I am passionate about ending domestic violence in the world and grateful that God has called me here to Peru to continue this struggle in a small way.

God bless the people of the Alto a la Violencia project as they carry on their important work! They do such good and effective trainings that there is talk of replicating the project in other South American countries.

Have a wonderful new year! Que Dios les bendiga mucho. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Paz,
Pastora Dana

• » Comments (0)

Kari and Justin Eller are ELCA missionaries in La Paz, Bolivia. In a recent newsletter, Kari reflects on being an immigrant. Here are some of those thoughts. To support the Ellers, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Kari and Justin Eller

On Aug. 26, 2009, Justin and I left the United States as missionaries to Bolivia; in essence, we immigrated to follow God´s call. Our needs are different than many of our immigrant brothers and sisters, but none of that changes the fact that we too are immigrants.

We speak Spanish fluently, but some days we feel less understood than others. Other days though, we are inspired by what we see and do. It is a blessing to work with the Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church and they are adding to the core of who we are and what we are about. Living here has given us so many more opportunities to open our eyes and to truly welcome our neighbor into our lives and be transformed by them. And every morning when we wake up and look at Illimani (the mountain) we remember that while our jobs are big, we are only a small part of God´s plan.

In the Old Testament, we learn of the radical hospitality that should be extended to orphans, widows and foreigners.

 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt:  I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:34 

So look around you.  Who are the immigrants and marginalized in your community?  How have you welcomed them, shown them the radical hospitality of God´s love?

Or maybe you´re one of those people who hasn´t said anything against an immigrant, but maybe you haven´t spoken up for them either. I am an immigrant.  I look like many of you reading this newsletter today.  How would you prefer me to be treated?  How do you treat others like me where you live?  In this post-Christmas season, we reflect on how God unexpectedly reveals Godself to us in our neighbor and as a helpless baby in a manger.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31: 8-9

­Love always, Kari

• » Comments (0)

Christa VonZychlin, an ELCA missionary in Hong Kong, started 2012 with a visit to Cambodia. More of her photos from the trip can be viewed online. To support Christa, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

The Mekong River.

Finally, a set of pictures from my first visit to Cambodia New Year’s 2012. In 2012 you will be hearing more about my new job as Mekong mission forum assistant coordinator. Our family trip to Cambodia was my first trip to the country and my first chance to see the Mekong River (from whence comes my fancy new job title).

Cambodia was beautiful. We landed in Phnom Penh. We saw some LTS graduates and took a river boat down to Siem Reap. We also visited the amazing temples of Angkor Wat.

ELCA missionaries Wayne Nieminen and Christa VonZychlin in Cambodia.

Later in the year I will visit again (I think), and one of our LTS alumni has promised me a motorcycle ride to her home and a home-cooked meal, which will include home-grown snails from her family’s pond. I love my life and can’t wait to see what else the new year will bring! I do know I have an upcoming trip to Myanmar (Burma) very soon. And what hopeful news we are hearing from that country lately.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”  – God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah

Christa VonZychlin
Jan. 13, 2012

• » Comments (0)

Mary Borgman –  an ELCA missionary in Soweto, South Africa, serving in HIV and AIDS ministry — writes about an after-school program for young children. To support Mary, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Three children in the after-school program take a break from playing ball.

In late August we started an after school children’s program from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. We had been talking about starting a program since our kids’ week in July.

After much planning and preparation, the first day came and we had no children attend until just before 4 p.m.  Two children came and we explained the program and encouraged them to return.  I have to say this start was demoralizing.  I began to question whether the program was really needed, or if I had seen an opportunity to do something and then forced the implementation of a program.  This experience was humbling and called me to re-examine how I operate out of my culture and whether this fit with the context I am in. This certainly wasn’t the start with a bang that I had hoped for. My coworkers assured me that things start small and the program would grow.

Over the coming weeks we did grow. We grew from two children on the first day to three on the second and continued to almost double each week. We now have 40 to 50 children attending  regularly.

One of the benefits of the program is keeping the children off the streets. We try to have positive activities for them, including art and sports. Our resources for food are limited, but we have been able to feed all the children up to this point, and by God’s grace we will continue to do so. As time has passed we have a core group of kids who attend regularly and others who pop in and out, but we have had over 130 children attend along the way. I feel fortunate to spend time with these amazing kids.

• » Comments (0)

The ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program is reliant on coordinators who facilitate the young adults’ ministry and provide mentoring and spiritual guidance.  To support a YAGM coordinator,  go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship. Andrea and Luke Roske-Metcalfe are YAGM coordinators in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Here Andrea provides a snapshot of some of the young adults’ work.

Looking for a lost dog and learning responsibility.

During November and December, I visited all my Young Adults in Global Mission volunteers at their work sites.  Before they arrive (and even sometimes after they’ve been here for awhile), these volunteers often have very romanticized notions about what it means to be a missionary of the ELCA. This is often also true of their friends, families and supporting congregations.

We don’t tend to imagine that they spend their days carrying large quantities of condoms from place to place on the subway, or setting fires in dry, open fields or pushing wheelbarrows full of small children around the streets, shouting over and over the name of a lost dog.

But, indeed, that is what they do, at least here in Mexico. Let me explain.  Kyle works for Casa de la Sal, an HIV and AIDS treatment, prevention and educational organization in Mexico City.  He spends his days giving workshops to people of all ages, dispelling myths about HIV and AIDS (both of which are much more prevalent here than they are in the U.S.), and teaching the basics of safer sex.

Ian works on Rancho La Troje, an organic farm and permaculture education center. The day I visited, he and the other farm hands were doing controlled burns to prevent wildfires from sweeping across the hillside.

And Kent works for Caminando Unidos, an alternative education center in Cuernavaca.  The center’s dog had run away the day before I visited, and the curriculum there is very hands-on.  The staff wanted to teach the children responsibility and the value of looking out for one another.  So half the school, everyone from babies to staff in their mid-20s, went on a dog-hunt!  Kent piled the four youngest in a wheelbarrow, and we were off.  We didn’t find the dog that day, but those kids took care of one another, and they took care of their dog in the only way they knew how.

These are only three of my volunteers this year, but suffice it to say that all seven of them are serving their communities in ways that they, their supporting communities, and even I could never have imagined. They are living and learning and loving alongside God’s people here.

Andrea Roske-Metcalfe

Kristopher and Rebecca Hartwig served in Tanzania from 2004 to 2011, though they both had lived there when they were younger. Kristopher is a palliative care/hospice physician by training and Rebecca is a nurse. They both worked with a palliative care home-health team out of Selian Lutheran Hospital, helping terminally ill people with control of their symptoms, emotional and family support, and spiritual care.

To support any of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

• » Comments (2)